The Ties that Bind Us
by ChickLovinThesbian
Summary: [SIV] A good old fashioned pick-up where the story was left fanfic. Takes place after Suikoden 4 in the Island Nations. R&R! There always helpful. Hope you enjoy!
1. Default Chapter

A cold sea breeze blows easily into the face of the young man. His black hair tossed back and forth across his young sea chapped face. Bushy sideburns and a five o'clock shadow framed his young face not yet marred by time and life. He stood on the edge of a long wooden pier and gazed into the dark blue midnight horizon. The reflections in his eyes indicated his mind was elsewhere.

The ocean churned beside him and he began to sway with the wind as it gusted up briefly. He sat down. He let his feet dangle as he propped himself up on his arms, his shoulders raised high. Behind him approached another figure. Stout and round the man approached at a calm pace. His arms swung as he walked.

More of him came into view. He had a dark beard with streaks of gray and his hair was thinning out on top. He wore a black jacket, the front left wide open. Under his jacket he wore a white and black striped wife-beater. His green pants had evident holes and patches in it and his shoes were simple and clean.

"Here you are. I've been lookin' all over for ya." The man said. The young man awoke from his stupor and shot his gaze behind him. "O, hello father. I just came out here to think for a bit. Sorry if I worried you." The young man stood up to meet his father. He wore a dark brown belt with a skull and cross-axes emblem emblazoned on its front. He wore a blue vest with white edges and a black skin-tight undershirt with sleeves to his elbows. He was a strong looking young man but he wasn't quite done growing. He wore baggy dark blue pants cutting off in his high boots.

"Yea, you need to be in bed lil guy. You gotta big day tomorrow!" the portly man said. "You don't wanna fall asleep at the helm, after all."

"I know father I just couldn't sleep. I'll try again, I'm a bit more calm. You too need sleep, your not as young as you we" the boy was cut off as he discovered that someone was sneaking onto the island. The dark shadow moved stealthily and with fluidity. It proceeded to walk down the main street of the pseudo-town they had helped to build. They both began to dart down the pier, quieting their boots as they went. As they reached the land the large man dashed inside one of the buildings and came out with an axe and a curved one-bladed sword. He tossed the sword to his son and tightened his grasp on the handle of his axe. He was rusty, but he'd show them a little thing or two about invading their turf.

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The buildings that were here were large and exquisite. He had come to talk to an old friend, but wanted to go unnoticed. Apparently his wish of anonymity would be futile. He noticed the two men following him. He picked up into a run and took a hard right down the tunnel, hoping to loose them while inside it.

The tunnel was dark but his eyes adjusted well enough. Being careful, in this now constricted space, he made sure not to hit his spear on any of the walls. Hopefully everyone else is asleep by now. He knew his friend would be wide awake.

With torches lining the cavernous walls of the cave-like tunnel, he dashed through to the other side, hoping not to fall. He didn't think it would be so hard to find his good friend. "_Nalleo"_ he thought to himself "_wait til I find you. We've got so much to catch up on_"


	2. Chapter 2: Metamorphosis Friend or Foe

Hey everybody! Thanks for all the reviews. Keep em coming, their quite helpful! On with the story…

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The sky began to spill onto the earth below. The raindrops fell heavy on the heads of the father and son. "Nalleo! Can you still see 'em?" Dario called out in the dark. "Father, go back to the treasure chamber and guard there! You can't keep up and that's probably what this thief wants." Nalleo responded.

Dario looked at him questioningly "All right but you better keep safe and-" "GO!" Nalleo shouted at his father. Dario sauntered away from Nalleo as Nalleo turned around on heel and dashed after the intruder. "STOP! FACE ME!" Nalleo called out. He burst through the threshold and spotted the intruder.

"I see you've decided to stop running. At least you have some shred of courage." Nalleo said to the man. The man slowly drew his sword. His face obscured by a bandana, his body language was begging Nalleo to attack. Nalleo gladly accepted.

_Lets see just how much my friend here has grown. What kind of man he's become._ The man stood there with a hand on his hip and his other hand on his trident. His rugged v-neck sleeveless shirt clung to his body, damp and darkened with rain, the faded green becoming more like its original color. He waited and Nalleo delivered.

Nalleo started with an intended deathblow leaping high into the air, blade raised heavenward, fire in his eyes. The man assumed a defensive posture and stood with his trident in both hands across his chest. Nalleo's blade came down hard but the man redirected the attack to the left and turned to his right, hitting Nalleo in the back with the butt of his trident.

Nalleoanticipated the hit coming and rolled forward and barely felt it. The man noted the move and assumed an offensive stance, his trident facing Nalleo. He began a charge at Nalleo and pulled the trident deep into himself. As he neared Nalleo settled into a bent-kneed stance. As the trident came rushing toward him he lifted his foot high into his body and stepped hard on the flat trident head. It shot downward bringing the man with it as Nalleo began a rotation. His other foot followed the first and was thrown over. Nalleo's single blade sword came around the spin and slashed downward.

The blade nipped into the mans back but was met with a light chain mail. The man ran through and turned around a safe distance away. Nalleo was right after him with his blade high over head.

_This had better be the end._ Nalleo thought. His blade was screaming through the air. _He is better than I thought_. Nalleo's blade was met and caught in the prongs of the trident. They were deadlocked, neither the stronger to over power the other. Evenly matched they pushed at each other. "Nalleo, so good to see you." The man said.

"Who are you and how do you know my name" Nalleo vociferated. "Nalleo, you don't recognize your old friend? Maybe this will help you a bit." The man called back. He reached up and removed the bandana from his face. He tossed it to the ground idly and looked back into the eyes of Nalleo. "Is that… Is that you? Rakhgi?"

Nalleo couldn't believe that it was his old partner in crime Rakhgi. "It's been so long my friend. What have you been doing this whole time?" Nalleo asked him. He began to walk closer to his comrade and gave him a big hug. Rakhgi returned the action in suit. "Well, I stayed with my mother and became a fisherman, over in Obel. I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch but I had so much to do to support the two of us." He said with a grin. Rakhgi still had the familiar white hair with the bushy ponytail and the same old tattoo on his forehead. His face now had shadowy stubble on it around his jaw.

"What have you done with yourself all these years?" Rakhgi asked him in his warm baritone voice. "Well as a matter of fact, I'm going to become a pirate, independent from father. I'm leaving in the morning. I don't have a first mate if you're not doing anything. Wait, how is your mother?" Nalleo asked him. Rakhgi's eyes dropped slowly. "She passed away last month. She a stomach virus and didn't pull through." Rakhgi's eyes let loose a sole tear as his head hung. "I'm so sorry. Why not go sailing so that you can take you mind off it. We can catch up on old times. Remember that dream we had on the boat? That we would be great pirate captains some day. Together, we would be the greatest sailors on the high seas. Now we can follow through! This is what we have always wanted." Nalleo said with growing excitement.

Rakhgi looked up, eyes dry and red. "Of course, why would I say no?"

They walked off together and as they reached Nalleo's room Nalleo said "well you can sleep in the extra room. Father and I were granted this four room suite and its very- I FORGOT ABOUT DAD!"

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Thats it for now. R&R. If you suggestthemes in your reviews I can try to work them in, because I don't have any set direction for it in the near future. Peace. -Author(thats me!) 


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